'Courgetti' Fritters with Lemon and Feta - Watch them vanish!

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Courgettes are like magic beans. You set off for the market. On the way you get conned into handing over your cow for a few small seeds. You return home delighted with your "bargain", but your mum chucks them out the window in disgust and practically at once they spring forth from the ground and start growing like beanstalks almost before your very eyes! Once they flower, they magically produce courgette after courgette - seemly overnight - and suddenly you have the equivalent of a courgette factory and the need for 101 courgette recipes.

One of my favourite ways to eat this vegetable to is spiralize it into 'courgetti' and then tip these delicious veggie noodles into whatever pasta sauce that is heating on the stove, give them about 3 minutes to heat through, then serve. Courgetti also make a delicious salad, tossed in soy vinaigrette and toasted sesame seeds. They are also great stir-fried with garlic, ginger and chillies.

Another is the ‘Some Like it Hot’ Courgette Vichyssoise from the book – a lovely light summery soup and a doddle to make.

My latest favourite, though, is Courgetti Fritters with Feta and Lemon. They can be a snack, a starter, an unusual side - and a delicious way to make courgettes vanish as quickly as they appeared.

For 8 – 10 fabulous fritters you will need...

2 courgettes (zucchini), approximately 600g in total

1 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

80g spring onions, finely chopped

80g feta, crumbled into small crumbs

60g fine fresh breadcrumbs

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 large egg, lightly beaten

a little flour for dredging

A pinch of salt and a little freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil for frying

Start by spiralizing the courgettes (skin and all) using the fine noodle attachment of your spiralizer*. Using a scissors, cut them into lengths about 6cm – about 3 inches - long, otherwise they’ll end up being an unmanageable tangle. Put them in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt. (*If you don't have a spiralizer, coarsely grate the courgettes instead).

Leave for about 30 minutes so that the salt leaches some of the liquid out of the courgettes

Squeeze the courgettes to remove as much liquid as possible and drain this away. Place the courgettes in a clean tea towel and wring out as much liquid as possible.

Place in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the flour and mix until well combined.

Divide the mixture into 8 – 10 portions. Using floured hands, form them into flat little cakes, about 1cm thick. Place on a lightly floured plate while you heat a little of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.

Cook the fritters for about 3 -4 minutes each side, or until golden brown and serve hot. Simple!

I love them as a snack with either the crisp apple (or cool as a cucumber) Tzaziki in the Starters, Snacks and Light Bites section of the book.

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The 12th bite of Christmas ... the 12 Grapes of Luck #12BitesOfChristmas

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One of your five a day and it isn't even breakfast time yet! What a great start to 2020!

The 12th bite of Christmas (12 bites in reality) is vegetarian, healthy and somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Less a recipe and more a ritual, it is an old Spanish custom guaranteed to bring good luck and prosperity (mostly to grape farmers, I imagine) in the coming year.

You will need...

seedless white grapes – 12 per person

church bells to ring 12 strokes at midnight on New Year’s Eve (Big Ben will do the trick)

Someone who knows the Heimlich Manoeuvre on standby in case someone tries to inhale rather than swallow their portion of grapes

You will also need 12 wishes (or the same one 12 times)

The timing of this ‘recipe’ is critical so give out the grapes in advance, 12 per person (if they peel them, it makes life easier)

Count down to midnight, then consume one grape for each stroke of the bell - it isn't as easy as it sounds.

It’s a bit of fun, and a healthy start to the New Year.  Have a good one!

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Avocado Nayo* – Vegan Alioli

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(*Nayo, not Mayo)

Some people remember where they were when Elvis died, or when John Lennon was shot. I remember the first time certain flavours hit my tastebuds. The first time I tasted creamy garlicky alioli - for instance - was on an almost deserted beach in Ibiza about a million years ago. I wasn’t too sure exactly what it was, but I wasn't leaving without the recipe.

After several decades of alioli addiction, I have stored a few kilos of it on my hips and along my arteries. It is time to look for a substitute. Swapping creamy ripe Avocado for the raw egg in a classic alioli makes a more than passable Nayo (nayo = not mayo). It is green (not necessarily a downside), and it lasts for about 4 days in the fridge (again, not necessarily a downside, as you’ll have to consume it relatively fresh). And, surprisingly, it doesn’t taste much of avocado.

I tend to make it in smallish batches because of its shelf life. Use it with anything you’d use alioli for. You’ll need a food processor or similar for this. The recipe is easily doubled... or trebled... or quadrupled... (you might want to cut down on the garlic a little when multiplying up though)

For about 250g of creamy, green, not very avocado-tasting Nayo, you will need…

The flesh of 1 large ripe avocado

3 tablespoons of light oil (such as sunflower, hemp, walnut)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard (obviously Dijon has no place in a classic alioli but I love the layer of flavor and the tiny bit of heat it adds)

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon salt

Blitz the avocado flesh in a food processor (or similar). Add the rest of the ingredients and blitz until smooth and creamy and all the ingredients are combined. Cover, excluding as much air as possible, and keep refrigerated until needed. Will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge but best used sooner.

Coleslaw with 'Nayo' - 'I'm not so green as I"m cabbage looking'

  

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Sweetcorn and Feta Pies – Accidentally Vegetarian

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I am becoming an accidental vegetarian. While I cannot see myself giving up steak or bacon completely, there are so many meatless meals to be discovered. For me, a successful vegetarian dish is when I eat something that is so delicious that I don’t notice the absence of meat. My beloved doesn’t believe a meal is complete without some form of animal on the plate, so finding meatless meals that satisfy a carnivorous household is a challenge.

Sweetcorn and Feta Pies - accidentally vegetarian!

With the garden in full production at the moment, there are herbs aplenty and a forest of salad leaves, helping me to meet the meatless task half-way. Fresh mint and flat-leaved parsley are the flavours that lift these pies out of the ordinary.

Make sure there's enough mint left for the cook's Mojito!

Delicious hot or cold, they are a great way of sneaking vegetables past the kids, or making a chic, recession-proof office lunch. Easy to make and easy to eat, preparation time is about 5 minutes, cooking time about 25 minutes, eating time about 30 seconds flat!

For 4 pies you will need...

... to pre-heat the oven to 190°C

2 sheets of all butter ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed

100g tinned sweetcorn kernels

100g feta cheese, roughly mashed

50g fresh spinach, washed, dried and finely shredded

4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley

1 egg, beaten

1                    Cut each pastry sheet in half then trim to a square of approximately 14cm (use the trimmings to cut out fancy shapes to decorate if you like – kids love this bit.)

2                    Mix together the rest of the ingredients, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg.

3                    Divide the mixture between the four squares making a sausage shape in the centre of each and leaving a margin of about 1cm at each end of the sausage shape. Brush the edges with a little cold water. Fold the narrow ends in, then fold the wider edges over the top of the mixture to make a neat parcel.

4                    Place each pastry parcel on a non-stick baking sheet, so that the join is underneath. Brush with beaten egg to give the pies a lovely glaze. If decorating with pastry shapes, pop these on top now and brush with egg.

5                    Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown and serve hot or cold, with or without salad.

I ♥ herbs!

Tip: Make tiny versions as canapés and serve with a minty Mojito.

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Potato Gnocchi with Sage and Walnut Butter – Better a Dinner of Herbs...

Pin It There is a proverb which goes something like: Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf and hatred therewith. In other words, better to have modest offerings given with a generous heart than abundance offered with a mean spirit.

Gnocchi sounds so much more exotic than "potato dumpling"

My cupboard obviously has a generous heart. At first glance today, it appeared empty. Baked beans on toast for dinner... hmmmm. Think, Hester, think! Potatoes, flour, Parmesan, eggs, nuts, butter and plenty of herbs in the garden... channelling ... channelling... ggggggnnnnnn...  gnocchi!

For 3 to 4 servings you will need...

Gnocchi

550g Rooster or other floury potato, skin on

100g plain flour

2g  (½ teaspoon) baking powder

½ teaspoon fine table salt

1 egg, beaten

A little extra flour for dusting

1                  Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and carefully add just enough boiling water to cover. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook gently for about 15 minutes or until easily pierced right through with the tip of a knife. Drain the cooked potatoes and leave them aside for about 5 minutes or until just cool enough to handle. Gently peel, then push the potatoes through a potato ricer, catching them in a large mixing bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, mash them with a regular potato masher. Using a fork, gently spread the potato out into an even layer without compacting it. Leave to cool.

2                  Next, sprinkle in the flour and baking powder and lightly combine until the mixture resembles ground almonds.

3                 Add the beaten egg and mix gently using a fork to bring the ingredients together. When the egg has been evenly dispersed throughout, bring the mixture together in a ball, using floured hands.

4                 Turn out onto a floured work surface. Divide the mixture into about 4 portions and roll each into a rope about the thickness of your thumb. Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into pillows of dough about 1.5cm long (half an inch).

5                 Place each pillow of dough, one at a time, cut side down in the palm of your lightly floured hand. Press gently with the back of a fork so that it forms a slightly ridged indent. This helps the gnocchi hold any sauce you care to add. (You can freeze them on a tray at this point and transfer the frozen gnocchi to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen.)

6                 To cook: bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Carefully drop the shaped gnocchi into the pan one at a time. They will sink to the bottom of the pan. Don’t add more than will cover the base of the saucepan in a single layer. Make sure the water comes back to simmering, turning up the heat if necessary. When the gnocchi rise to the surface continue cooking for a further 3 minutes. When the gnocchi are cooked, drain and add to your favourite sauce.

The humble potato gets an Italian makeover

Gorgonzola or porcini sauces are particularly good with gnocchi. Today, however, I’m all about the simple so here’s how my sauce goes...

Sage and Walnut Butter

70g butter

50g finely chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaved parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

Parmesan

Black pepper

1                 Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until sizzling. Add the cooked gnocchi to the pan in a single layer and fry gently until golden brown – about 3 minutes. Turn to brown the other side and add the walnuts at the same time. After 2 minutes, add the crushed garlic and herbs and cook gently for a further minute or so.

2                 Transfer to a warm serving dish and scatter with parmesan shavings.

Just add Parmesan

Better than beans on toast!

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Leek Tart - a case for poireaux!

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I am the picnic’s most dedicated fan. I’ve been known to picnic in rain and snow. The weather doesn’t matter so long as I have a beautiful view, a dry place to sit and something delicious to eat.

A leek tart is perfect picnic food!

Excellent picnics have included:

·                    Glendalough in Co. Wicklow – bypass ‘picnic central’ near the car parks... try not to get distracted by picnic envy... there’s a thousand wonderful meals covering the wooden outdoor tables and spicy barbeque aromas rise into the air to tantalise... keep walking... find spot near lake... lay out picnic blanket. Eat, relax, sigh, and think “heaven!”

An unexpected companion at a recent picnic...

·                    Sittin' on the dock of the bay / Watching the tide roll away”, feet dangling in the water at the edge of Sausalito, with the obligatory ‘Californian’ on rye from a nearby Deli, a Coke and a smile.

Not a great day for a picnic but pretty view of Dalkey Island from Killiney Beach

·                    Hardboiled eggs washed down with red lemonade on Killiney beach, Co. Dublin, following a swim in cold, cold water with a view to rival the bay of Naples.

The best picnics are those shared. I wait with eager anticipation as the treasures concealed by picnic baskets are finally revealed and laid out on table or blanket ready to be handed around.

My favourite picnic items – apart from the obligatory nostalgia of hardboiled eggs dipped in sea salt – are pies and tarts. Sweet or savoury, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they are simple and tasty - like this leek tart – or Tarte aux Poireaux if you want to get fancy. Crumbly pastry, rich savoury filling, great company - sunshine is optional. Buy decent ready-made pastry for even less effort, however the pastry given below is very well-behaved so even if you are a pastry virgin why not give it a whirl.

For 4 tarts you will need:

Shortcrust Pastry

110g plain flour

a pinch of salt

½ teaspoon paprika

75g butter

1 egg yolk

a little iced water

1                    Place the flour, salt, paprika and butter in a food mixer or processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

2                    Add the egg yolk and as much iced water – a tablespoonful at a time - as it takes to bring the mixture together into a soft (but not sticky) ball of pastry.

3                    Flatten the pastry into a disc, cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Luscious leek filling

50g butter

450g finely shredded chopped leeks

4 egg yolks

200g crème fraiche or 200ml fresh cream

50g Gruyere cheese

½ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

a further 25g Gruyere cheese for sprinkling over the top

1                    Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a gentle heat. Add in the shredded chopped leeks. Stir to coat the leeks in the melted butter, then cover and leave to cook without colouring for about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the leeks are meltingly tender, take them off the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl to cool.

2                    Meanwhile mix together the egg yolks, the crème fraiche or fresh cream, 50g Gruyere cheese and sprinkle in the salt and pepper.

3                    Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

4                    Roll out the pastry to approximately the thickness of a 20c coin (GB 2p coin/USA 5c coin) and use to line 4 mini-quiche dishes or flan tins.

5                    Now add the eggy cheesy mixture to the cooled leeks, mixing well.

6                    Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases and sprinkle with the remaining 25g Gruyere.

7                    Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the mixture is light golden brown and the cheese has melted.

That’s tonight’s supper for two sorted! It’s going to be served warm with a green salad. The remaining two tarts will accompany me on a picnic tomorrow – even better served cold somewhere the view will add a little alchemy of its own.

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Pickled Fennel – Stealing the Show

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Midsummer … the woodland theatre at Kilruddery House’s 17^th Century gardens. Could there be a more perfect setting for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream?  A light drizzle filtered through the woodland canopy and midges snacked on our ears as Titania and Oberon squabbled and Puck ran amok with a magic potion.

There was a smell of crushed grass and wet bark, mothballs and old attics as folk opened proper, wood-wormy, leather-strapped wicker baskets, quietly popped bubbly, or unscrewed interesting-looking/smelling/tasting flasks and jars. On that eerie, enchanted patch of damp grass, people shared… quietly… so as not to break the spell.

One jar that went home empty was a delicious fennel pickle. Sorry Shakespeare, it stole the show.

While I’m not the world’s greatest fan of either pickles or fennel, I can eat this fragrant crunchy pickle straight from the jar. It goes wonderfully with smoked mackerel pâté, white or oily fish­, and it has been the secret ingredient to lift a potato salad out of the ordinary.

About to get in a bit of a pickle...

 

For 1 x 500ml jar of show-stealing pickled fennel you will need…

1 fennel bulb, washed if necessary and trimmed of any blemishes

1 slice of lemon

1 fat clove of garlic sliced into about three thick slices

1 bay leaf

 

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds

½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds

350mls white vinegar

150ml cold water

2 tablespoons each of sugar and salt

 

Slice as finely as you can...

 

Slice the fennel bulb as finely as you can then pack it into a wide-mouthed 500ml jar leaving about 2cm clear at the top. Tuck the lemon, garlic and bay leaf down the side

Pack into a wide-mouthed jar...

 

Place the peppercorns, mustard seeds and coriander seeds in a dry medium saucepan over a medium heat. When the seeds begin to pop add the rest of the ingredients.

Peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds... the supporting actors...

 

Simmer until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Carefully pour the hot liquid over the contents of the jar until everything is submerged. Poke with a skewer or chopstick to remove any bubbles of air that have become trapped before topping up the liquid if necessary. You’ll have a bit of the pickling liquid left over. Keep it in a non-reactive container and use it to make quick cucumber pickles.

Get rid of any air bubbles...

I usually leave the pickle in the fridge for at least three days before using to allow the flavours to develop (Alchemy...) and it will keep for up to a month, covered and refrigerated.

Alchemy at work...

 

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Chocolate Orange Mincemeat – shouts Christmas louder than a chorus of drunken carollers

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For me, chocolate and orange are the two flavours that sing out louder than a chorus of drunken carollers “Christmas is Here! Christmas is Here! “ And guess what? They absolutely love each other’s company.

This year I went through my (now dog-earred) copy of The Flavour Thesaurus and picked out other flavours that adore chocolate and like to hang out with each other as well.  

Don't be put off by the list of ingredients - it's mostly an assembly job.

See? Assembly job!

For approximately 4 jars of mincemeat, you will need...
... to pre-heat the oven to 180°C   

300g sultanas

100g ready-to-eat prunes (e.g. no stone), finely chopped

100g dried sour cherries (or dried cranberries), finely chopped

300g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped

100g mixed peel (this is finely chopped candied peel of oranges and lemons)

100g walnuts, finely chopped

220g dark brown sugar

200g grated apple (I used Granny Smiths)

125g butter, cut into cubes

finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)

5 coriander seeds, crushed (or ¼ teaspoon ground coriander)
3 allspice berries, crushed (or ground allspice, but not mixed spice)

2 whole cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons Cointreau (or other orange liqueur) + an additional 2 tablespoons to stir in at the end 

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a large oven-proof dish with a lid. Cover and place in the preheated oven and cook gently for 3 hours, stirring every half hour or so (set a timer... )

When the cooking time has elapsed, remove from the oven and allow to cool, stirring briefly every half hour until cold. This keeps the butter evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Finally, stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of Cointreau (or other orange liqueur) into the cooled mixture before sealing in clean, dry jars.

It will keep well for up to a year in a cool dark place or in the fridge - but I can’t really see the point in that!

With these fairy-size piece, you can eat three without a hint of guilt!

For the fairy-sized mince pies in the photos, stamp out rounds of short crust pastry using a 5cm (2 inch) scone cutter and use them to line a mini-muffin tin. Fill them to the top with the cooked, cooled mixture. Bake for about 10 minutes at 180°C. 

For regular-sized mince pies, use a 7.5cm cutter (2½ inch) for the base and a 6cm cutter (2¼ inch) for the lids. Fill, seal and bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 165°C or until a pale golden brown. Remember to poke two holes in the top of each with a sharp knife to let the steam out and stop them bursting open.

I prefer my mince pies warm from the oven (the microwave is death to pastry) with a swirl of fresh cream. A touch of Cointreau in the cream is optional.

It's snowing!

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